Frequently Asked Questions for Groups
Why should groups visit Ripley’s Believe It or Not?
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums and Aquatic Attractions are the perfect settings to learn and be amazed simultaneously. Every Ripley’s location possesses a different part of the Ripley’s collection and most locations have extended opening hours. There’s zero hassle when determining where to fit the one to two hours you need to visit the locations in an itinerary.
What types of assistance, discounts or other benefits does Ripley’s offer groups?
Although each location has its own pricing structure, Ripley’s offers it’s best discounted rates and a favorable comp ratio to visiting student groups. With pre-scheduled group check-in procedures, student groups avoid the lines at admission counters.
How can I organize an evening event at one of the museums?
Ask about scavenger hunts and lesson plans. Not only will they save you time and provide educational content, you won’t have to worry about how to keep your students interested during their visit.
Is there anything new in the museums to be excited about?
The New York Times Square location currently houses the biggest sculpture in the world made of matchsticks: a life-size steampunk locomotive made of over 1 million sticks!
What makes these museums stand out from all other attractions?
The various Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums and Aquatic Attractions have always fascinated people because of the eclectic nature of the various exhibited collections. Museum-grade artifacts or world- class Aquariums, in fun and interactive gallery settings; you can’t really go wrong by choosing to visit a Ripley’s location with your students.
Ripley’s Baltimore “Odditorium” includes the realistic 4D Moving Theater and Mirror Maze. Photo courtesy of Bohemian Baltimore at en.wikipedia
5 Northeast “Odditoriums”
Here are five North American Ripley’s locations to shock and amaze your students.
Times Square, New York
This “temple of the twisted” has an address in America’s most famous intersection. Highlights include a vampire-killing kit from the 1840’s, a life-size albino giraffe and Captain America made entirely from scrap metal. Those with a hearty stomach should explore the Medieval Torture Device Room, where your group can see an Iron Maiden, and the Black Hole, an illuminating tunnel that twists and turns as you try to navigate your way out.
Baltimore, Maryland
Students can see shrunken heads, giant Transformer robots and an Eiffel Tower made of toothpicks, along with views of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Your group can explore two floors and see over 350 artifacts in this scenic location. Other highlights include the 4D Moving Theater, where passengers take wild trips through wintry forests and four-wheeler racetracks, and the Mirror Maze, a labyrinth of seemingly endless reflections and routes.
Toronto, Ontario
While students can look at fossils in any natural history museum, Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium features living ones you can touch and watch. The Discovery Center is the home to horseshoe crabs you can “pet” in an interactive pool, Rainbow Reef houses hundreds of species in a simulation of the Indian Ocean and the moving walkway of Dangerous Lagoon will whisk your group past sharks and manta rays.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada’s highlight is the Dangerous Lagoon, a moving walkway past stingrays, sawfish and sharks. Credit: RipleysAquaCA at en.wikipedia.
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Ripley’s prime location on the Atlantic City boardwalk is the only place your group can see the smallest car ever put into production, a roulette wheel made of jelly beans and the halls full of optical illusions. The Odditorium features 14 themed galleries to explore, with everything from giant spiders made of scissors to shrunken heads behind every corner. The highlight of the Atlantic City location is the Lazer Maze challenge, a twist on the ordinary obstacle course. Hundreds of laser beams block your route to the exit, and only the most flexible students will be able to finish with a good time.
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Get a selfie with Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and Superman, or at least their replicas, in Ripley’s Canadian location. Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks exhibit is filled with life-like replicas or celebrities, politicians and superheroes, while nearby exhibits have the world’s rarest egg and two-headed animals on display.
